Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on 20/8 that the planning committee of the Ministry of Defense had approved a plan to build around 3,400 homes for settlers in E1, an undeveloped area east of Jerusalem. The project will bisect the West Bank, currently under Israeli control, and separate it from East Jerusalem.
"With E1, we will successfully implement what has been promised for many years. The idea of a Palestinian state is being erased, not just with slogans, but with actions," declared Minister Smotrich, a nationalist member of the ruling right-wing coalition.
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Minister Smotrich holds a map of the E1 project during a press conference in the West Bank on 14/8. Photo: AP |
Minister Smotrich holds a map of the E1 project during a press conference in the West Bank on 14/8. Photo: AP
Peace Now, an Israeli organization that monitors settlement activity in the West Bank, stated that infrastructure construction could begin within the next few months, while housing construction could start in about a year.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's announcement, arguing that the E1 project would isolate Palestinian communities in the area and diminish the possibility of a two-state solution.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric also criticized the move and called on the Israeli government to halt all settlement construction activities.
"If implemented, this project will divide the Palestinian state, flagrantly violate international law and seriously undermine the two-state solution," French Foreign Minister David Lammy wrote on X.
The "two-state solution" is the idea of establishing two separate states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians. This concept emerged before the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, which marked the end of the British Mandate for Palestine. However, violence and war in the following decades have hampered this effort.
Israel has considered the E1 project for over two decades but has been unable to implement it due to pressure from previous US and European administrations. Much of the international community considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank illegal and an obstacle to peace.
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Location of the E1 project. Graphic: BBC |
Location of the E1 project. Graphic: BBC
Restarting the project could further isolate Israel, as it faces criticism from some Western allies for escalating its campaign in the Gaza Strip. Some countries have announced they will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September in protest against Israel.
During the 1967 Six-Day War, the Israeli military occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, territories considered to belong to Palestine. Israel subsequently built settlements throughout the West Bank and has continuously expanded them.
Pham Giang (Reuters, AP)
